
As MPC deals with over 4200 primary school children, the
issue of dealing with the health problems of the
children and their families arose. A small clinic
was set up to cater for these people. The clinic charges
a minimum of US $0.50 for each visit. Between 60 and
100 people from the slum area attend the clinic
daily.
There
are doctors from Slovakia working as volunteers in
the clinic, two nurses; a pharmacist, a registration
clerk, a laboratory technician and a cleaner also
work there. Mission for Essential Drugs (MEDS),
which is a church-based organization, supplies the
drugs and they ensure quality low cost drugs to its
customers.
With the
escalation of HIV AIDS among the population, a
Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre was
established in January 2004. This centre offers free
HIV/AIDS counseling and testing to the people in the
surrounding slums. Many avail of this service and to
date over 1500 clients have passed through.
Volunteer community health workers and a registered
nurse visit the slum areas on a rotational basis
daily and attend to those unable to visit the clinic
or those who may be bed ridden. Many lactating
mothers are malnourished hence their babies suffer.
A small education and feeding intervention is in
progress. This is monitored very carefully and when
the baby has developed sufficiently the intervention
is discontinued.
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